This is one of the sweetest little home office I've seen. It only took up one small corner of this home yet its so functional and pretty at the same time. Loving all that cup holder and hook that frees up much needed desk space.

Building a new home from scratch is a roller coaster of emotions according to this client. It's fun, exciting, overwhelming, head spinning experience. This family is building their first home that they can truly call their own. They're on the finishing stage of the construction, and they asked for my help to lessen the head spinning aspect of the process. :)

I'm helping them with two areas of their home, the ground floor which has the foyer, living, dining, and kitchen area. And the den on the third floor.

This post is dedicated to their ground floor, hence the GF in the post title. Which I'm pretty sure you already figured out by now, but I love to blab so there you go.

Here's where we at now which will soon be the before pictures.

The foyer

Living area (foyer and entrance to the right)

Dining space and the kitchen.

The layout is a very typical row house feel where the living / dining / kitchen are all in one long rectangular space, which means that everything should look cohesive.

They love architectural details, warm tones, modern furnishing, natural woods, and TAUPE. Yes, the wife loves her taupe. So I'm giving that to her.

MOODBOARD

Here's the plan for the ground floor.

FOYER

Floor to ceiling wall paneling, drum chandelier, and all sort of pretty things to set the tone of the space.

LIVING AREA

A modern couch, a black accent chair, and punch of colors through drapes and pillows.

DINING

We'll install this wall mirror feature to make the dining space the focal point. A reclaimed wood table paired with mismatched modern chairs and a bench will give this space a more causal vibe.

KITCHEN

A very clean modern kitchen with tons of lower storage, and an open shelving to display everyday items.

I'm really excited to see this design in reality. We've already chosen the fabrics, floors, paint colors, and lighting. Onto the big pieces!

Oh I can just imagine the family gathered around the dining table on Christmas eve. We'll get to that. :)

Of course it will only be fab if done right. Gone are the days when your drapes, beddings, pillows, and all sorts of pattern-related pieces should match. It was pretty THEN. I guess? I'm staring at the above photo and wondering when really was this look in-style. And now I'm wondering if the rooms we consider pretty today (think Lonny, Elle Decor) will be conceived as ugly someday. I can't imagine.

Big bold pattern is great on huge windows. Wait... this is Elle decor, so will the future people cringe at the site of this? Yeah I can't let that go.

So that's a post a half asleep person can manage to type. I hope I remember this in the morning. Oh wait, its morning already.. goodnight.

P.S. I googled. Curtains are lighter, more casual, usually without lining. Draperies are formal, pleated with lining that mostly hang on a traverse rod. Another PS, to the owner of the room on the first photo... sorry. Now this is really goodnight.

I just need to share this space. This room speaks to me so loud, its inspiring. It's fun, quirky, and effortless. Turquoise and pink are two of my fave colors so its no wonder I'm loving this space so much. But what I like about this is its sense of humor. Yup, rooms can have that too! Those giant fork and knife curtain print, and that weird artwork tells me the owner doesn't take herself too seriously -a really great quality if you ask me.

I didn't realize that this blog has been quiet for a week now. What better way to shake things again than a Big Reveal! One reveal to another... this calls for a celebration! That may be way over dramatic but that's how I feel each time a project comes to a close.

This makeover is really dear to me since I got to go crazy with colors. Lots of them!
Colors + pretty = happy me.

The extra door were closed off to make way for a custom table that can fit three people.

A faux brick wall and shelves. I'm in love with these curvy brackets.

AFTER

Fun chairs, frames, artworks, storage boxes, and books brought this area to life.

SOFA WALL

AFTER

We removed that odd cabinets to widen the space and make way for a lounge area. That is an old sofa the client already owned that we reupholstered. Check out the before picture here. We also installed pipe lighting all around the space in lieu of typical pin lights to give some industrial vibe.

We framed some of the client's styling works and magazine feature to make this gallery wall. I will not get tired of gallery walls, its an easy way of dressing up a wall that makes a huge impact. And it adds tons of personality to the space. See process here.

THE CLIENT'S SIDE

AFTER

The star of the show -the built-in shelves!

This ties the whole room together. The color scheme and the concept evolved from these shelves.

The back of these were finished with combination of wall paper and two-tone green paint.

We put up a memo board on one side to store ideas, inspirations, and all sorts of stuff.

Lower cabinets and drawers were placed all around the client's space.

I really love the combination of books and all these dinnerware. They're so playful, had great shapes, and very much reflects the client's work. She is a FOOD stylist after all. :)

Oh and if you didn't noticed, we used the same desk. (Go.. check out the before photo. I know you want to. haha) We just refinished it to achieve this grayish blue vintage look. It has these noticeable brush strokes and worn out edges for a more organic feel.

BOTH SIDES OF THE ROOM

AFTER

This is how the two sides relate to each other. Very distinct, but cohesive.

That's it for this "Raw Industrial Chic" office. I had fun creating this colorful space. The fun literally translates in these pictures and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

P.S. Please tell me this space made you smile, 'coz that's what I do whenever I walk in to the space or see all my after photos. Very much like this --> :)

After three and half weeks of construction and furnishing stage, the "Dark Room" office and lounge space is officially done. This is a far cry from my usual bright and colorful aesthetic, but hey, you design to make your client happy, and I'm proud to say that he is. :)

We made the custom L-shaped desk white to contrast the dark walls. Adjustable shelves were installed for additional storage. The subtle stripes was a last minute detail I added (I'm glad they approved it), it completed this side of the room. The new door now connects to Food Stylist's office.

Here's the lounge / display area...

And after.

The window and door was closed off (as per client's request), and a display shelves were built to house all the collectibles. Added tons of drawers below the shelves to accommodate more storage. I think a bigger TV will be wall-mounted soon, which will make this lounge area much more fun. Yes I love movies, and yes I'm jealous of this set-up.

We framed some comic artwork to go above the sectional. I just love how the dark walls makes everything cozier.

Here's the door....

The new sliding door.

All the shelves and the door is in dark wood tones to add some warmth to this very manly space. The desk and the back of the display shelves were white for just the right amount of bright. Yes people, rhyming is not my strong point. haha...

The "101" makes you think that I'm some kind of a styling guru, which I'm not. This is just a brief account of how I styled this massive shelf, which covers one entire wall. (Though that 101 sure does looks good on a post title! haha)

I started with this..

and this..

We cleared out the shelves and laid out everything on the floor - piles upon piles of books, magazines, and other stuff that are too long to enumerate.

I started with books and magazines. I organized the magazine with the same titles together. Same colored spine are compiled together for a cleaner look.

Added some more. I just randomly selected which shelf they went to just making sure that none of the groups were too aligned. I like the random but collected feel.

Next layer were the decorative stuff such as bowls, plates, teapot, etc.

Another layer was added. I tweaked and edited until I came to a look I like. I spaced out the colors and neutrals evenly so it will have a balanced feel. (White pots/plates beside colored books, while white/black books are beside colored accessories)

Please take note that these photos are taken on an on-going cleaning/organizing spree, so please excuse all the mess. :)

Here they are up close...

This is my first time to decorate a shelf on that scale, and I'm super thrilled with the result!

HELLO

Hello, this is Elle Uy from Manila Philippines.

Decor Me Happy is a chronicle of my work as a decorator, our life in the "Tiny" house, endless design inspiration, and a place to share my mostly chaotic thoughts about my pursuit of happy homes and the randomness that is called life.

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